10.6084/m9.figshare.5123929.v1
Autenrieth C.S.
Autenrieth
C.S.
Karrasch S.
Karrasch
S.
Heier M.
Heier
M.
Gorzelniak L.
Gorzelniak
L.
Ladwig K.-H.
Ladwig
K.-H.
Peters A.
Peters
A.
Döring A.
Döring
A.
Supplementary Material for: Decline in Gait Performance Detected by an Electronic Walkway System in 907 Older Adults of the Population-Based KORA-Age Study
Karger Publishers
2012
Gait performance
Aging
Gait speed
Mobility aid users
Endoprosthesis
Population-based study
2012-11-01 00:00:00
Dataset
https://karger.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Supplementary_Material_for_Decline_in_Gait_Performance_Detected_by_an_Electronic_Walkway_System_in_907_Older_Adults_of_the_Population-Based_KORA-Age_Study/5123929
<b><i>Background:</i></b> Gait changes at older ages are a strong predictor of a decline in lower extremity functions. However, large population-based studies assessing gait parameters in various gait tasks are lacking. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> We investigated the relationship of age, the use of mobility aids and being fitted with an endoprosthesis with selected gait parameters, assessed in different walking tasks. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> In the population-based KORA-Age study, data from 907 men and women aged 65-91 years were obtained using the validated electronic walkway system GAITRite, which quantifies spatiotemporal gait parameters in the measurement range of a 488 × 61 cm walkway mat. Participants completed three walking tasks at different speeds (normal, slow and fast) and a fourth walking task at normal speed with the additional task of counting backwards (dual-task walking). Additionally, the impact of endoprostheses (hip or knee) and mobility aids was assessed. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The highest relative age-related decline for velocity was observed during dual-task walking (26.1% for men and 23.4% for women) and for step length during fast walking (20.2 and 14.4%) when comparing participants aged <70 years with those aged ≥85 years. Weaker performances for velocity, cadence and step length were observed among women with knee or hip endoprostheses (fast walking speed) (p < 0.05). Across all walking tasks, significant differences between mobility aid users and nonusers were observed for velocity and step length among both men and women (p < 0.05). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> A decline in gait performance is most notable in fast speed and dual-task walking, in age-related endoprosthesis and mobility aid analyses. The marked relative decrease in gait parameters in these difficult gait tasks may be attributed to lacking resources for compensation among the elderly.